New approaches for expanding the raw material base of the Zhezkazgan deposit through the processing of support pillars

In modern conditions of widespread depletion of mineral reserves, the search for new approaches to expanding the raw material base is very important and relevant. During underground mining, large reserves of ore remain in the form of supporting pillars. For example, an analysis of reserve losses at the Zhezkazgan field by type and location as a percentage of redeemed reserves showed that about 20-25% accounted for losses in inter-panel and other various support pillars, where their diameters range from 5-6 to 20-30 meters. These huge reserves account for almost one quarter of the field's originally approved reserves.

Scientists of the Branch of the Republican State Enterprise on the right of economic management "National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan" "D.A. Kunaev Institute of Mining" proposed a solution to this problem. An effective method of intensive heap leaching of metals from substandard copper ores from various support pillars has been developed. It consists in low-temperature sulfatization of ore with concentrated sulfuric acid, followed by exposure and further dissolution with a weak solution. By using hydrometallurgical methods for mining ore pillars, bypassing the enrichment process, ore with an extremely low content of up to 0.2% copper can be leached from the pillar. At the same time, the rear sight does not collapse, pores form in it. The safety of the process is ensured by hardening the leached pillars with fast-hardening solutions, pumping high-pressure pumps (25 MPa) into the body of the pillar.

Thus, the introduction of this technology ensures the prolongation of the life of the enterprise for several decades.

Source: gov.kz/memleket/entities/comprom